Newt Gingrich Tea Parties in Big Apple

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," April 15, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking live at the steps of the State Capitol. We are in Atlanta, Georgia. I am joined by well over 15,000 Americans. By the end of this night, it may be close to 20,000. They have gathered here on this Tax Day to make their voices heard.

All across the country, American like you have taken to the streets by the thousands. We have complete coverage from all around the country this evening. Former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich is at a tea party in New York City. Mike Huckabee and Neal Boortz were at a fair tax rally in Columbia, South Carolina.

Radio hosts, Rick and Bubba will be joining us live from Birmingham, Alabama, their tea party. And we're going to take you live to all these locations. Plus, Joe the Plumber is going to be here in Atlanta with a special performance by the one and only John Rich and you don't wan t to miss that.

But we start in New York tonight, where by the way, Georgia's own a warm welcome, former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, is with us.

Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, here we are in your backyard in Georgia. We're probably, by the end of the night, going to have 20,000 people here.

(CHEERS)

As you can hear. They're still coming in. What do you make of this? How do you interpret this? It's gone on all day around the country.

NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: First of all, I want to say to you and Dave Lyons from American Solutions, and everybody else who's there, what a great representation for Atlanta and for Georgia.

Here we've got thousands, thousands of people at City Hall. You can't believe this is New York with this kind of turnout. Bill Fortune told me 1,500 to 2,000 people in Nashville, another friend wrote, thousands in Virginia Beach, all over the country, huge turnout.

(CHEERS)

I think this is a major turning point as Americans stand up and say to their politicians, enough, no more big spending, no more big deficit, no more tax increase. Let's get government under control.

HANNITY: You know, Mr. Speaker, I've got to tell you something. I just went down the line. And if you can look at this, there's a little girl right down the line here, and it says, "Keep your hands out of my piggy bank." And it's signed right over here, "Christina." And she — I did. Yes, you like that.

I'm going to — I'll just give you this copy after — but what's amazing about this, and by the way, I assume President Barack Obama is at the White House tonight looking at all of these "arrogant" Americans.

(BOOS)

But I've got to tell you, John McCain used the phrase generational theft, Mr. Speaker, and if we go through these numbers and we're going to spend and create $10 trillion in debt and 10 years from now, $806 billion on interest on that debt, this is unsustainable.

And America has a message tonight for the White House, 15,000 or 20,000 strong here in Atlanta, leave our children's and grandchildren's money alone.

(CHEERS)

GINGRICH: Kellen Giuda, who's the young man who organized New York, is a new businessman. He's not earning the kind of money that would get him taxed by Obama, but he wants his family and his children to have a better future. And he knows that this debt is a direct threat to their life.

We figured out at American Solutions that if you're 20 years old this year, you're going to pay $114,000 in extra taxes with the Obama interest on the debt they're going to run up from spending. And that doesn't count the amount of interest you're going to pay for all the loan guarantees they're building.

This is a key day. I hope every American across the country will call their senator and their congressman and say, beat the budget, make them write a new budget, take out the spending increases, take out the tax increases, get government under control.

HANNITY: Yes, you know, I look at these families, and I got to speak to — you people are wonderful, and thank you all for coming out, by the way.

(CHEERS)

I mean that sincerely. But — and I've got to tell you, I can't even paint the picture for people at home. Folks, it goes down two city blocks, down around another block and down around the other side in the other block. I mean it's amazing.

(CHEERS)

But I guess the issue here, Mr. Speaker, are we now — is this a defining moment? Do you think there's an opportunity to stop the $4 trillion that Barack Obama wants to spend and the amount of debt that he's going to create for our kids and grandkids?

Do you think this is the spark that begins here tonight in Atlanta, that began in all or every state around this country? Is this the spark that gets us going?

GINGRICH: Well, Adam Waldeck at American Solutions told me there are over 700 cities that have tea parties tonight. And every American who's watching us will call their senators and their congressman and tell them to vote no on the budget, no on big spending, no on big deficits, no on tax increases.

I think maybe next week we'll start setting the stage to get government under control. And then this will make a difference.

HANNITY: All right. But by the way, considering this is Tax Day, I would like to ask all the people in Atlanta and all the people in Birmingham and we're going to check in with Neal Boortz, ladies and gentlemen, in a minute, all right?

(CHEERS)

And Georgia's own Newt Gingrich is holding down the fort for us in New York. I would like to dedicate this day and I would like to ask the Obama administration that if they appoint any more people that we could do better than tax cheat Tim Geithner.

(CHEERS)

Who failed to pay his taxes and I think that ought to be a prerequisite, Mr. Speaker, on this April 15. Do you agree with me?

GINGRICH: Well, it would be nice to have a secretary of the treasury who paid his taxes before he raised our taxes. And I think there's something deeper going on. I think the Congress and the president need to understand from the American people that we think it's time to control government spending, get back to a balanced budget and get America growing again. Don't get government growing.

HANNITY: Mr. Speaker, I want to ask you one serious question. Because I am arguing and what's amazing about what has happened today all across the country, is that the American people — they're not thinking about themselves. They're thinking about their kids and they're thinking about their grandkids.

And they're thinking about the future of this country. And that's why everybody here and everybody in New York and around the country inspires me here. But if we're talking about this kind of debt and this kind of deficit, is this really a battle between not limited government, and you know, less government Obama in which,...

(LAUGHTER)

Is this now a battle between capitalism and socialism?

GINGRICH: This is a battle between families who care about their children and their grandchildren and who want them to have a decent life and politicians who are so greedy for power that they would burden our children and our grandchildren for a lifetime so they could get through the next election.

This is a battle between responsibility and absolute power grabs by irresponsible politicians.

HANNITY: Mr. Speaker, thank you for being with us in New York tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Newt Gingrich.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

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